Plans for affordable housing complex worry elderly Marion tenants

MARION — Little Neck Village, the town-owned elderly housing complex on Wareham Road in Marion, will be demolished and replaced by a much larger complex comprising 42 affordable housing units, if a proposal put forward by the Marion Housing Trust attracts an interested developer.

DON CUDDY

MARION — Little Neck Village, the town-owned elderly housing complex on Wareham Road in Marion, will be demolished and replaced by a much larger complex comprising 42 affordable housing units, if a proposal put forward by the Marion Housing Trust attracts an interested developer.

A key provision of the $10 million project, however, requiring the sale or lease of the land to a private developer, will require approval at the annual Town Meeting on May 19.

Many residents of the existing 12 apartments, with a caretaker cottage, built in 1977 on land sold to the town for the purpose of building housing for the elderly, are voicing dismay at the prospect.

Iva Griffith, Marion's oldest resident, who will be 99 in May, is among those whose lives will be disrupted if the project is approved.

She and her husband were among the original tenants when the affordable housing first opened in the late 1970s, and her husband, a retired carpenter, was its first caretaker, she said.

"I'm very fond of this place. My husband and I had a wonderful time here. I don't know what I'll do now. I'll probably go live with my daughter in Rhode Island."

The request-for-proposals calls for the creation of "a larger interactive community" to be built in two phases. Phase I consists of a 19,000-square-foot building, on two floors, of 20 apartments. Phase II includes 22 units on 22,000 square feet. The site plan for the 9.9-acre parcel also features a community center and terrace, walking paths, a gazebo and parking for 66 vehicles.

In the RFP, bidders are asked "to design, finance, construct and operate" the new units. Little Neck is maintained and operated by the town's Department of Public Works.

Resident Suzanne Peterson said that she did not welcome the idea of a newer and larger complex.

"My main concern is we wanted to keep it strictly for seniors and keep it smaller. If the 40B development by The Wave had been built, I don't think this would have been done," she said.

Marion Selectman Jonathan Henry said that obtaining funding for the project required that it include housing for families.

"The state has identified that as the greatest need, and our goal is to have this thing totally subsidized," he said. "If we just wanted to build elderly housing, we would not have been competitive for funding."

Mr. Henry also said the town is hoping to increase the number of units beyond the 42 in the current proposal.

"If we get a waiver on the height, we can add a floor, and that would give us more than 60 units," he said, boosting the town's inventory of affordable housing.

Marianne Mangham, who moved into Little Neck last October, was also frustrated by the proposal. "I waited 15 years to get in here, and now they're telling me that I have to leave. And in the new place there will be an elevator. Some people panic. What happens if no one is working and somebody gets stuck in the elevator?"

Other residents expressed concerns about language in the RFP, dated April 9, which states that "Section 8 vouchers obtained by the developers may be used to achieve the rent levels outlined."

Currently, tenants at Little Neck are assessed rent based solely on their income, whereas Section 8 subsidies are based on consideration of both income and assets. Some residents fear that this may render them ineligible for a place in the new complex.

"I have serious concerns whether I will be able to remain in Little Neck Village under the new guidelines," resident Helen Westergard said. "I have spoken to (Marion Affordable Housing Trust Chairman Reg Foster) about that but I have not been reassured."

Mr. Foster said his committee was working to ensure that all of the tenants remain eligible.

"It is absolutely our intent to ensure that they can all move in to the new building. In fact, we want to make sure that they get first pick," he said. The seven-member trust, which includes all three selectmen, has been meeting for two years to develop affordable housing projects for the town, he said.

"Every board and committee in Marion has signed off on approving this project. The benefits are numerous. We get brand new units that are up to code, larger and better equipped and fully ADA compliant. This is a good deal for the town."

Claudette and John Perry have lived in Little Neck Village for more than eight years.

"I'd like to stay here. We're perfectly happy. I hate to see them knocking it down," Mrs. Perry said. "The majority of people don't want it but we have no say."

Mr. Henry said that the town was sensitive to the disruption that the project would cause to the tenants and was trying to alleviate that.

"We have developed a point system to evaluate the developers and will award the project to the one who most closely meets our needs. Contractors may not like to work around an existing building but it's doable," he said.

Mr. Henry also sought to allay fears that town residents would be burdened with the cost. "The land there is worth a lot, and if we make it available at an attractive price it should not involve any tax money to get this done."

In addition to specifying that the new complex be privately owned and operated, the RFP also spells out how much can be charged for rent. Twelve of the units in the new complex will be rented for $313 per month, a figure arrived at by calculating 30 percent of the area median income. Nine will rent for $595, 13 will be available at $742 and eight at $889.

"If the fair market value of a unit is $1,000 how is a developer going to make money?" one tenant asked.

Mr. Foster explained that the developer will be eligible to apply for $6 million to $7 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

"That is something they do in cities. We've just never done it before because we are a town," he said.

If a developer is identified and all the necessary approvals are obtained, the Marion Housing Trust hopes to begin construction next spring.

The deadline for developers to submit letters of interest is 10 a.m. on June 12, and a decision will be made by the town on July 14, according to the proposal.